viii. 12; ix. 5; xii. 35, 46; Rom. viii. 12; Gal. iii. 26; 1 S. John iii. 1; and numberless others, which look out, as Col. i. 15; 2 Cor. iii. 18; Col. iii. 10; &c., &c.

"Our Great High Priest," perfect in sympathy. Isa. liii. 8; Heb. ii. 18; iii. 1; comp. S. Luke xxii. 28; &c., &c.

Our Mediator, the "Angel of Incense." comp. Ps. xiv. 1, 2; S. Luke i. 10; 1

Heb. ix. 15; xii. 24; &c.

Rev. viii. 3;
Tim. ii. 5;

"Perfect in obedience." Isa. liii. 12; Col. i. 20; Phil. ii. 8; S. John xix. 17; Heb. xii. 2.

"The True Paschal Lamb." Heb. viii., ix., x., xi. ; Ps. xl.; Micah vi. 6, 7; comp. Easter Preface; Isa. i. 11; Jer. vi. 20; Amos v. 21, 22; S. John xvii. 19; &c. S. Matth. x. 38; xvi. 24; Gal. vi. 14, &c.

"Who ever liveth," &c. Heb. x. In heaven in Bodily Presence at GOD's Right Hand; on earth in His mystical Body the Church, spiritually and really present in sacraments and all means of grace by which He is for ever "A Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of His people Israel."

Consider, 2ndly, how the Church continually answers with S. Peter, our LORD's own solemn question :— "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?" "Thou art the CHRIST, the SON of the Living GOD." (S. Matth. xvi.) She solemnly declares to us from age to age this wondrous truth, that this Perfect Man is also "Perfect GOD." "Furthermore," she says, "it is necessary," &c., (this is the Faith of the Catholic Church,) "that we believe rightly the Incarnation of our LORD JESUS CHRIST." Comp. Heb. ii. 3; Rom. i. 1-4; 1 S. John iv. 3. Consider then what is taught us in the Creeds and in Holy Scripture concerning this Great Mystery, i.e., the taking up of man's nature into God.

Consider "the Holy Child Jesus" then as—

1. "GOD and Man," (1 S. John ii. 23, 20,) "of the very substance of His FATHER.”

2. "Begotten before the worlds, born in the world." Gal. iv. 4; Col. i. 17; ii. 9; S. Luke ii. 6, 7, 11.

3. "Perfect GOD and Perfect Man." S. John i. 1-14; Heb. i. 8; ii. 14, 16; S. Luke ii. 52; xxiv. 39. 4. "Equal to the FATHER," &c. Zech. xiii. 7;

S. John x. 30; xiv. 28; Phil. ii. 5—7.

5. "GOD and Man; not two, but One CHRIST," (anointed.) S. Matth. xvi. 16; Phil. ii. 7; Heb. ii. 17; 1 Tim. ii. 5; S. John xi. 27; Gal. iii. 16.

6. "" As Perfect GOD and Perfect Man, He will come again to judge the quick and the dead." S. Matth. xxiv. Athanasian Creed; 1 Cor. xv. 24-28.

7. We daily "acknowledge Him to be the LORD." I believe "in JESUS CHRIST His only Son our LORD," (Apostles' Creed.) Continually at the altar we own Him "GOD of GOD, Very GOD of Very GoD; Of one substance with the FATHER; By Whom all things were made; Who was incarnate by the HOLY GHOST," &c. "and was made Man."

Again, the Church continually cries, "Thou art the King of Glory, O CHRIST; Thou art the everlasting SON; The honourable, true, and Only Son, &c.; To Thee all angels cry aloud; To Thee Cherubin and Seraphin continually do cry; The glorious company of the Apostles, the goodly fellowship of the Prophets, the noble army of Martyrs, praise Thee; The holy Church throughout the world doth acknowledge Thee." Yes, "this is the Catholic Faith," this is the Faith "once delivered to the saints," for which the Church still sings, as she has for ages past, her daily Te Deum and Benedictus, Magnificat, and Nunc Dimittis, and only by holding fast this Faith and living in it have we the Promise of being "numbered with His Saints in glory everlasting."

Consider how Holy Scripture shows us" the Holy Child Jesus" to be the Incarnate God yet Perfect Man.

For He is

"The Man." S. John xix. 5.

"The Man CHRIST JESUS."

"A Man approved of GOD."

1 Tim. ii. 5.

Acts ii. 22.

"The Second Man the LORD from heaven." 1 Cor.

xv. 47.

"The Son of Man." S. Mark x. 33.

Gen. iii. 15.

Gen. ix. 26.

Gal. iii. 16, 19.

"The Son of Abraham." S. Matth. i. 1. "The Son of David." S. Matth. i. 1. "The Seed of the woman.' "Of the family of Shem." "The Seed of Abraham." "Of the Seed of David." "The Son of Man." Dan. vii. 13; Ps. viii. 4, 5; S. John i. 51; iii. 13; v. 27; S. Matth. xvi. 13; xxvi. 64; Heb. ii. 7; Rev. i. 13; xiv. 14.

Rom. i. 3.

"The SON of GOD." 2 Sam. vii. 14; Ps. ii. 7; lxxii. 1; Prov. xxx. 4; Dan. iii. 25; S. Mark i. 1; S. John i. 34, 49; iii. 16; xx. 21; Heb. i. 2, 5; Rom. i. 4; 1 S. John iv. 14; Rev. i. 5, 6. "The Wisdom of GOD." Prov. viii. 22, 30; S. Matth. xi. 19; S. Luke ii. 40; 1 Cor. i. 24, &c.; Ecclus. xxiv.; xxv. 9-12; i. 1; Wisd. vi. 21, 22; ix.

"The Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate." Job xxxiii. 23; Isa. liii. 12; lix. 16; S. Luke xxiii. 34; 1 Tim. ii. 5; Heb. ix. 15; 1 S. John ii. 1; Rev. v. 9.

"As in Adam all die,"

"It is sown a natural body."

"The first man Adam was made a living soul."

"The first is of the earth, earthy."

"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit."

Ephes. ii. 2, 3; Col. iii. 6, 7; Rom. vi. 6; Ephes. iv. 22.

"So in CHRIST shall all be made alive." 1 Cor. xv. 22.

"It is raised a spiritual body." 1 Cor. xv. 44.

"The last Adam was made a quickening Spirit." 1 Cor. xv. 45.

"The Second Man is the LORD from heaven." 1 Cor. xv. 47.

"But he that is spiritual judgeth all things." 1 Cor. ii. 14, 15.

Ephes. ii. 4-6; Col. iii. 10; Rom. vi. 7-9; Ephes. iv. 23, 24.

Types.

Adam. 1 Cor. xv., &c.

Abraham, the Father of his people.

Isaac, the willing Sacrifice.

Joseph, first betrayed by his brethren and then the

feeder of his brethren.

Moses, the Intercessor and Lawgiver.

Aaron, the Priest.

The Prophets. "He was that Prophet." S. John i.
The Rock, "for that Rock was CHRIST."
The Brazen Serpent, " I, if I be lifted up," &c.
The Manna, "I am the Living Bread."

The Pillar of Fire.

Prophecies. Gen. xlix. 10, "The sceptre," &c.; Ex. iv. 13; Numb. xxiv. 17; Deut. xviii. 15; Judges vi. 37; Ps. lxxii. 6; lxxvii. 14; lxxx. 1; cx. 1; cxliv. 5; Isa. i. 9; ii. 2; xi. 1; xvi. 1; xix. 1; xxviii. 16; xxxv. 4; xliii. 1; liii. 8; lv. 4; lxii. 1; Jer. xxiii. 5; Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 29; Dan. ii. 44; iii. 25; vii. 13; Hos. i. 11; Joel ii. 23; Amos iv. 12.

"Prepare to meet thy GOD, O Israel."

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come, and will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD," (Zech. ii. 10.) Comp. Micah iv. 2, 7; Dan. vii. 9, 27, &c.; Joel iii. 21; Ezek. xlviii. 35.

These few are selected out of the mass.

Comp. 1 Macc. xiv. 41 with S. Matth. iii. 17; S. Luke i. 33.

Lessons. To strive to imitate in our own lives the humility of the Incarnation. To seek union with CHRIST diligently in all means of grace, i.e., reading of God's Word, prayer, Sacraments, penitence, the public worship of the Church; to make its services one's daily thank-offering for the Incarnation, to remember this even amidst outward coldness and dreariness of services. To pray that the time may not be long ere the Incarnate LORD is honoured as He should be in every church in our own land and throughout the world, with the beauty of holiness, and "the voice of song and melody," although nothing we can offer can sufficiently show honour to the promised Presence of our Incarnate LORD in our churches and on our altars. To pray all may come to the knowledge of this blessed Faith; that all "who call themselves Christians may hold the Faith," &c. To strive to help all those with whom one may be thrown to believe in it more and more.

that